A 69-year-old man was tasered by police officers in Cliftonville following a call out to concerns of a person with a weapon.
Kent Police, including armed officers and a dog unit, were called to Northdown Road at around 10.40pm last night (June 29) to a reported disturbance. Officers attended the scene where a man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm.
Shocked residents said armed officers swarmed the road and passengers and a driver were evacuated from a bus in the area by St Paul’s Church.
Resident Francis Eaton said: “It happened right over the road from my house. Police even told me I couldn’t stand out by my door and I had to go inside. Further back in the day one person was causing problems which led to the police being called because of a gun report.”
Officers recovered three firearms from a property at the scene.
A Kent Police spokesperson said: “Due to a failure to comply with officers’ requests, a taser was discharged prior to the arrest. The suspect, a 69-year-old man from Margate, was taken to hospital as a precaution and then taken into custody.
“Three firearms, suspected to be a blank firing pistol and two air weapons, were later seized at an address along with a quantity of cannabis plants. Officers remain at the scene as part of their enquiries into the disturbance.”
